BY: Tarunima Singh
NEW DELHI: England captain Ben Stokes has accepted the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) sanctions after his team was penalized for maintaining a slow over rate during the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against India at Lord’s.
The match, which England won by a narrow 22-run margin after a gripping five-day battle, saw several overs lost over the course of play. Post-match, the ICC ruled that England fell two overs short of the required quota even after time allowances were factored in.
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Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees confirmed the ruling, citing ICC regulations that penalize teams five percent of their match fees for every over short, alongside a deduction of one ICC World Test Championship (WTC) point per over.
As a result, England players have been docked 10 percent of their match fees, and the team loses two valuable WTC points — a significant blow in the tightly contested championship standings.
In contrast, the Indian team avoided any sanctions, having maintained the required over rate during the Test.
THE PENALTY
Ben Stokes, whose all-round heroics were instrumental in England’s win, accepted the penalty without contest. “Stokes pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing,” the ICC said in its official statement.
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The ruling underscores the ICC’s firm approach to enforcing over-rate regulations under the WTC cycle. Slow over rates have been a persistent issue in modern Test cricket, leading the governing body to tighten sanctions in recent years to ensure fairness and maintain the pace of play.
While the penalty does not affect England’s victory at Lord’s, the deduction of WTC points could have long-term implications in the race to the final.
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The Lord’s Test was the third match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series, with the contest now poised for an intense finale as both teams look to maximize their WTC points tally.
